VDO.AI unwraps interactive ads for India’s festive media blit

As India’s festive season nears its annual crescendo of commerce and consumerism, adtech firm VDO.AI has unveiled a new set of digital ad formats aimed at brands preparing to compete in the year’s most crowded marketing battlefield. With pressure mounting on marketers to deliver both performance and innovation, the company’s latest launch targets engagement across Connected TV (CTV), online video, and mobile rich media.

The timing isn’t accidental. India's festive season is expected to witness a 10–12% jump in advertising spends in 2025, according to media planners, despite global macroeconomic concerns and a tighter festive calendar. E-commerce, FMCG, automobiles, and electronics will continue to anchor festive media budgets, with digital expected to absorb a substantial portion of the increase.

In this environment, VDO.AI is introducing interactive formats that combine technology with visual storytelling. These formats are engineered with data and APIs at their core—delivering contextual targeting based on location, weather conditions, or even air quality, alongside interactive features such as trivia quizzes, 3D cube animations, parallax scrolling, and expandable carousels.

Among the more hands-on innovations is VDO.AI’s Remote-Enabled Interactive CTV Ad Format, launched earlier this year, which allows audiences to engage with TV ads using their remotes—flipping through product catalogues, voting in polls, or unlocking deals, all without leaving their screens. The aim: to convert passive viewership into active interaction, within a space long considered a branding-only environment.

“Whether it's delivering a ~95% video completion rate on CTV or outperforming CTR benchmarks across Online Video and Display, VDO.AI’s festive ad suite delivers all of this while driving measurable outcomes for brands,” said Amitt Sharma, co-founder and CEO of VDO.AI.

Co-founder and chief technology officer Arjit Sachdeva framed it as a response to complexity. “India's festive season represents the pinnacle of consumer engagement, and our comprehensive tech stack ensures brands can deliver the right message at the right moment,” he said. He emphasised the role of real-time optimisation in improving performance metrics throughout the consumer journey.

The ambition is clear: help brands stand out in a saturated marketplace where consumer attention is fragmented and stakes are high. VDO.AI’s campaign pitch includes Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) triggered by live signals and countdown-based formats designed to amplify urgency during Diwali-led drops.

The effort comes as media buying strategies are becoming increasingly fragmented. While digital continues to outpace other mediums in growth, brands are not abandoning traditional channels. In fact, planners cite television sports properties, vernacular print editions, and short-form video as equally essential components in a diversified festive media plan.

The challenge, then, isn’t just where to advertise—but how to measure effectiveness across formats. VDO.AI claims to address this with a blend of engagement metrics and contextual targeting. Its recent data analysis, for instance, tracked how fashion brands are faring on CTV, one of the newer frontiers in India's digital ad landscape.

In a July 2025 report, VDO.AI said fashion campaigns on CTV recorded an average ~97% video completion rate, with viewer interaction significantly higher in southern markets like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad compared to northern cities such as Delhi, Jaipur, and Chandigarh. The research indicated that 67% of high-performing campaigns used advanced CTV formats, like DCO and API-triggered creative, followed by advanced online video formats at 23%.

“Connected TV represents the convergence of cinematic storytelling capability with precision targeting that fashion brands require,” said Sharma, commenting on the findings. “Such a heightened completion rate validates our thesis that when content quality meets the right viewing environment, consumer engagement follows naturally.”

Sachdeva added that the medium’s visual appeal offers a natural fit for categories like fashion. “Interactive elements such as CTV Carousel Ads and Store Discovery Units are enabling viewers to explore collections and brand offerings without leaving their screens,” he noted, likening the experience to social and e-commerce browsing habits.

These insights appear to be translating into changed behaviour among advertisers. VDO.AI reports that brands are now shifting larger portions of their media budgets towards Connected TV, no longer viewing it purely as an awareness play but as a full-funnel channel that drives intent and consideration.

That pivot is being closely watched by media planners, especially in categories reliant on rich visual storytelling. With user behaviour data showing a receptiveness to lean-in ad formats, the platform’s proposition is tailored for marketers seeking tangible ROI amidst peak-season clutter.

Still, scepticism lingers. For all its promise, interactive CTV is not without its challenges—measurement standards are evolving, and attribution remains a work in progress across devices and touchpoints. Moreover, scale continues to be an issue, especially for brands looking to go beyond premium urban audiences.

Nonetheless, VDO.AI’s timing signals its intent to stay ahead of that curve. As the festive period condenses into a shorter burst of heightened consumer activity, the company's hope is that brands will bet on formats that don't just shout louder, but engage smarter.

Whether that translates into meaningful uplift remains to be seen. For now, brands may find themselves testing a blend of novelty and necessity as they seek standout presence in the season’s media mêlée—armed with formats that talk back, scroll sideways, and invite consumers to click before they blink.